Mother, son share BRCC graduation day

Doris Rojas and David Ayala-Rojas, mother and son, graduated together from Blue Ridge Community College Friday.

Patrick Sullivan/Times-News

By Molly McGowanTimes-News Staff Writer

Published: Saturday, May 17, 2014 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, May 16, 2014 at 6:42 p.m.

David Ayala-Rojas, 20, is the first in his family to graduate from college, but only on a technicality. He and his mother, Doris Rojas, both graduated from Blue Ridge Community College on Friday and since his name comes first alphabetically, Ayala-Rojas was first to receive his degree.

Rojas gave the commencement speech and graduated with her associate degree in Applied Science in Spanish Community Interpreting, and will apply to UNC-Asheville to become a Spanish teacher. Ayala-Rojas graduated with his associate in arts and is enlisting in the Navy with dreams of becoming a Navy hospital corpsman.

Though separated during the commencement by last name and areas of study, the mother-son duo tackled their college educations as a team, encouraging each other and keeping each other awake when assignments called for all-nighters.

“This semester has been a little trying,” said Rojas. “I’ve had a full-time job, a part-time job and three internships.”

Rojas works full-time as a tutor at Early College High and has been interning at the Blue Ridge Literacy Council, with BRCC’s English as a Second Language night classes, and as a tutor for the Henderson County Public Schools Migrant Education Program.

“She’s very involved,” said Ayala-Rojas. “That’s where I get my work ethic.”

He said he wasn’t always so motivated.

Rojas said she’s always encouraged — and sometimes lovingly “forced” — her son and daughter, D’Anna, to take advantage of the education opportunities around them. But when she introduced the idea of taking college courses while in high school through Early College High, Rojas said Ayala-Rojas was less than enthusiastic.

“I started right out of middle school,” Ayala-Rojas said, admitting at first he just wanted to “get by” in his classes.

Over the years he became more involved and enthusiastic about his classes, serving as SGA treasurer for the high school and then student body president for three years. He’s currently SGA treasurer at BRCC, and recognizes that his early immersion into advanced education has prepared him for the Navy and eventually, the workforce.

“Early College being right here on the (BRCC) campus adds a lot of diversity,” Ayala-Rojas said. “Being in this program has taught me a lot of life skills.”

“I’ve really changed and I really thank my mom for that,” he said. “If she can do it on 15 minutes of sleep, I can do it.”

“They know they can’t come to me with excuses,” Rojas said of her two children, who know their Marine mother is working just as hard as she’s pushing them.

Rojas said she’s definitely taken the discipline she learned as a Marine and applied it to her education, especially since obtaining a degree was one of her early life goals.

She said that when she got out of the Marine Corps in 1991, she went to school and was told she’d never realize another dream of hers — having children.

So when she found out she was pregnant with her son during her first year of school, she dropped out and pursued motherhood full-time.

“I felt that he was more important than my degree,” Rojas said.

But as she — and her children — got older, Rojas said she felt there was something still missing in her life.

“When you have these dreams and you have to put them on hold for a while, they kind of come back at different periods of your life,” Rojas said. “Thankfully, dreams don’t have expiration dates.”

<p>David Ayala-Rojas, 20, is the first in his family to graduate from college, but only on a technicality. He and his mother, Doris Rojas, both graduated from Blue Ridge Community College on Friday and since his name comes first alphabetically, Ayala-Rojas was first to receive his degree.</p><p>Rojas gave the commencement speech and graduated with her associate degree in Applied Science in Spanish Community Interpreting, and will apply to UNC-Asheville to become a Spanish teacher. Ayala-Rojas graduated with his associate in arts and is enlisting in the Navy with dreams of becoming a Navy hospital corpsman.</p><p>Though separated during the commencement by last name and areas of study, the mother-son duo tackled their college educations as a team, encouraging each other and keeping each other awake when assignments called for all-nighters.</p><p>“This semester has been a little trying,” said Rojas. “I've had a full-time job, a part-time job and three internships.”</p><p>Rojas works full-time as a tutor at Early College High and has been interning at the Blue Ridge Literacy Council, with BRCC's English as a Second Language night classes, and as a tutor for the Henderson County Public Schools Migrant Education Program.</p><p>“She's very involved,” said Ayala-Rojas. “That's where I get my work ethic.”</p><p>He said he wasn't always so motivated.</p><p>Rojas said she's always encouraged — and sometimes lovingly “forced” — her son and daughter, D'Anna, to take advantage of the education opportunities around them. But when she introduced the idea of taking college courses while in high school through Early College High, Rojas said Ayala-Rojas was less than enthusiastic.</p><p>“I started right out of middle school,” Ayala-Rojas said, admitting at first he just wanted to “get by” in his classes.</p><p>Over the years he became more involved and enthusiastic about his classes, serving as SGA treasurer for the high school and then student body president for three years. He's currently SGA treasurer at BRCC, and recognizes that his early immersion into advanced education has prepared him for the Navy and eventually, the workforce.</p><p>“Early College being right here on the (BRCC) campus adds a lot of diversity,” Ayala-Rojas said. “Being in this program has taught me a lot of life skills.”</p><p>“I've really changed and I really thank my mom for that,” he said. “If she can do it on 15 minutes of sleep, I can do it.”</p><p>“They know they can't come to me with excuses,” Rojas said of her two children, who know their Marine mother is working just as hard as she's pushing them.</p><p>Rojas said she's definitely taken the discipline she learned as a Marine and applied it to her education, especially since obtaining a degree was one of her early life goals.</p><p>She said that when she got out of the Marine Corps in 1991, she went to school and was told she'd never realize another dream of hers — having children.</p><p>So when she found out she was pregnant with her son during her first year of school, she dropped out and pursued motherhood full-time.</p><p>“I felt that he was more important than my degree,” Rojas said.</p><p>But as she — and her children — got older, Rojas said she felt there was something still missing in her life.</p><p>“When you have these dreams and you have to put them on hold for a while, they kind of come back at different periods of your life,” Rojas said. “Thankfully, dreams don't have expiration dates.”</p><p>Reach McGowan at 828-694-7871 or molly.mcgowan@blueridgenow.com.</p>